Package fastening means



j i 28, 1937; I H. A BAUER V 3, 4

I PACKAGE FA S TENING MEANS 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed March "I, 193

v V EJV R fi dfya/ifawezi PACKAGE FASTENING MEANS Filed March 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented- Hans A. Bauer,

Gump 00., Chicago, 111.,

nois

Chicago, 111., assignor to F.

a corporation of Illi- Application March r, 1936, Serial No. 67,646

6Claims.

This invention relates to a package fastening means, and concerns itself with means for sealing the package and reclosing the same after it has been opened, and constitutes an improvement upon the Williams Patent No. 1,919,819.

In retail grocery stores, some products, such as coffee, are retained in paper bags, principally in one pound bags. When a customer desires to have the coffee ground, as is frequently the case, it is necessary to open the bag and pass the coffee through a grinder. In the interest of economy, it is desirable to put theground coffee back in the same bag. For this reason, the bag should be so sealed in the first instance that it can readily be opened-without destroying or materially mutilating the same. At the same time, it is desirable that the bag be provided with some means, such as a metal fastener, for quickly closing the same after it has been refilled.

This invention is designed to provide a sealed package that can readily be opened and reclosed, and comprises the novel featuresand combination of elements hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate certain forms of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package involving this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevatlonal view of the bag fromwhich the package is formed;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the bag, showing the reverse side and with the ends of the metal tie folded inwardly; A Figure 1 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line IV-,-IV of Figure 2, looking in .t e direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 j siai'fragmentary side elevational view of the sealed-package or bag; 1

Figure 6 is a part sectional and part elevational view taken upon the line Vii-VI of Figure 5,1ooking in the direction of the arrows and showing in dotted lines the neck of the bag when the seal has been broken and the neck portion unfolded;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the bag after it has been reclosed ,by the tie;

Figure 8 is an enlarged end elevational view on the line V'I1I-VIII of Figure '7, looking in the direction of the arrows; a

Figure 9 is a plan view of a piece of gummed tape, illustrating the perforated lines at which the tape is broken in opening the package;

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a bag and metal tie involving a modified form of this invention;

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the bag shown in Figure 10, illushating the manner of closingthe same;

Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary end plan view of the sealed bag shown in Figure 10;

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line XIII-XIII of Figure 10, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 14 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the line XIV-m of Figure 10, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 151s an enlargedsectional view taken in a transverse plane through the fold upon the line XV--XV of Figure 11.

In referring to Figures 1 to 9, which illustrate the preferred form of this invention, there is shown a portion of a paper bag I! having a paper sheath 2 secured upon one side adjacent the top thereof. Within this paper sheath, there is a metal tie 3, which consists of a flat stripof foldable metal. k

The first operation in closing the bag consists in bending or folding the extending portions 2a of the sheath and the enclosed tie inwardly fiat against the sheath, as shown in Figure 3. These portions 2a are preferably folded inwardly upon the surface of the sheath that faces the mouth of the bag. It will be noted that the portion of the sheath that contains the metal tie is located above the top of the bag.

The upper neck portion 4 of the bag with the sheath folded inwardly, as shown in Figure 8, is now folded along the line to shown in dotted lines in Figure 6, against the adjacent portion 4b. The two folded portions 4 and 4b are then pressed against bag which are folded directly against the top of the bag. A gummed tape 5 is then pressed over the top of the folded portion of the bag and against the ends of the bag, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. It will, of course, be understood that the ends'of the bag are properly tucked in before the neck is folded. The tape is preferably provided with weakened sections 6, which may be formed by one or more perforations. These weakened sections 6 are located in the tape so as to come just below thetop of the bag, where the bag curves inwardly, and the vertical portions of the tape between the weakened sections bag are not designed to be glued to the ends of the bag. Only the portions or flaps to. below the weakened sections are designed to be glued to the body of the bag, sothat when the weakened sections are broken, the folds will be free and can be elevated.

6, and the bent portions 2o unfolded. The bag the lower neck portions 4c and id of the.

E and the top of the I may be now emptied, and the contents examined or treated.

After the contents of the bag have been treated and replaced in the bag, the neck portion of the bag may be folded, as shown in Figures 7' and 8, and the extending portions 2a laterally crimped over the ends of the folds, as shown in Figures '7 and 8. In reclosing the bag, the sheath 2 may be simply folded against the lower half of the portion 3, and the folded portion may then be folded against the portion db, which retains its vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig ure 6 and full lines in Figure 8. The extensions in are then crimped over the ends of the por tion 3b. Thus reclosed, the package is given to the customer.

In Figures 10 to 14, the same purpose is attained in a slightly different way. Inthis modified form, a sheath i, which forms the sealing strip," is attached to one side of the bag i below the top thereof. In the present instances, the sheath is shown as glued to the bag and the metal tie 8 as terminating at the weakened sections 55 in the sheath, which weakened sections may be formed by one or more perforations. Beyond the weakened sections 9, the sheath is provided with glue ill. However, between the weakened sections 9 and the bag there is no glue, for it is not contemplated that the sheath be glued to the end of the bag between the weakened sections and v the top of the bag. The parts la beyond the weakened sections may be termed attaching flaps and they only are glued to the ends of the bag.

In closing the bag shown in Figure 1d, the part in above the sheath 7 is folded down over the sheath. The fold thuswlse produced is then fold-= ed over afold ll formed in the neck portion of he bag therebeneath, as shown in Figure 15. The parts will then be in the positions shown in Figure 15. The projecting portions of the sheath are then bent down and glued to the sides of the bag, as shown in Figure 12.

In opening the bag, the. sheath is severed or broken at the weakened sections, whereupon the neck may be unfolded and the bag opened, so that the contents may be examined, or removed and-treated. In the eventthat the contents have been removed from the bag and treated, they will be replaced after treatment. The bag may then be reclosed, as in the first form, by folding the neck portion and crimping the extensions of the metal tie around the edges of the fold or in any other suitable manner.

While the metal tie has been shown in a fabric envelope termed a sheath, it should be understood that the term sheath is used in a broad sense to include any suitable anchoring strip for the metal tie.

It will be appreciated that while the packages involving this invention are sealed and cannot be surreptitiously opened without detection, they can be readily opened and reclosed without the use of additional means when a sale.has been made. In thuswise using the same bag, a great economy is efiected.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varled through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, donot purpose limiting the patent granted hereon art. r

otherwise than necessitated by the prior I claim as my invention:

1. A package comprising a bag having a folded neck portion, a metal tie associated with said folded neck portion and having its ends folded ih wardly in parallel relation with the body of the cured to the folded neck portion of the bag and having terminal flaps secured to the body of the bag below the top thereof, said strip being unsecured to said bag between the flaps and the top edge of the bag whereby said bag may be readily opened by severing said strip at the unsecured portions.

3. A reclosable package comprising a bag having a folded neck portion, a metal tie associated with said folded neck portion and having its ends folded in substantial parallel relation with the intermediate portion of the tie and located in the folded neck portion and a sealing strip secured over the top of said folded neck portion of the bag and having portions secured to the body of the bag below the top thereof, said strip being adapted to be severed for releasing the folded portion and allowing said bag to be opened.

with said folded neck portion and having its ends folded in substantial parallel relation with the intermediate portion of the tie and located in the folded portion, and a sealing strip secured over the top of said folded neck portion of the bag and having pendant portions secured to the body of the bag below the top thereof, said pendant portions being adapted to be severed for releasing the neck portion, and the folded ends of said tie being adapted to be unfolded and refolded in reclosing the bag.

5. A reclosable package comprising a bag-like container having a folded neck portion, metal tie means associated with said folded neck portion and. having end portions folded in substantially parallel relation'with the intermediate part of the neck portion so as to be located in the folded neck portion, and sealing means secured over the top of said folded neck portion of the bag-like container and having portions secured to the body of the bag-like container below the top thereof, said means being severable for releasing the folded neck portion to allow the bag-like container to be opened.

6. A reclosable package comprising a bag-like container having a folded neck portion, metal tie means associated with said folded neck portion and having end'portions folded in substantially parallel relation with the intermediate part of the neck portion so as to be located in the folded-neck portion, and adhesive means associated with said folded neck portion of the baglike container for securing same to the upper end of the body of the bag-like container and being 

